THE TEMPEST BY WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE
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SHAKESPEARE ORANGE COUNTY FESTIVAL AMPHITHEATRE
12740 MAIN STREET
GARDEN GROVE
http://www.shakespeareoc.org/
WHEN:
THURSDAY NIGHT, AUGUST 14, 2008
7:30 PRE-SHOW ON THE GREEN
8:15 PERFORMANCE
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ORANGE, CA 92856
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THE TEMPEST
BY WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE
SOME THINGS TO LOOK FOR AND QUESTIONS TO PONDER…
What is a “tempest?”
A tempest is a violent windstorm…
Where does the play take place? It takes place on an
enchanted island…
When does it take place?
Once upon a time…
Who are the characters?
1. Prospero: a magician and former nobleman from Italy
2. Miranda, his daughter: a lovely young woman who has never
seen human beings other than her father since she was a
baby
3. Ferdinand: the handsome Prince of Naples, thought to be
drowned
4. Ariel: a sprite or fairy invisible to all but Prospero.
Ariel likes fantastic disguises and leads human beings
around the island with fairy music.
5. Caliban: a monster enslaved by Prospero. He obeys his
master but plots against him.
6. Antonio: Prospero’s brother who, with the help of
Sebastian, tried to destroy his brother.
7. Alonso: King of Naples, father of Ferdinand
8. Gonzalo: advisor to King Alonso and friend to Prospero
The play begins with a tempest. Tempests do occur in nature from
time to time, but in this play, the storm is not a natural storm.
No. This tempest has been whipped up by a magician named
Prospero.
Why did Prospero magically create this tempest? Prospero has
enemies. One of them is his own brother, Antonio. Antonio and
Sebastian plotted against Prospero to claim his title, his land
and his fortune. Unfortunately, King Alonso went along with them.
Only Gonzalo, Prospero’s old friend, tried to help. Now all four
of these men are on a ship sailing nearby. Even the king’s son,
Ferdinand, is on board. Prospero aims to sink the ship so that
all aboard will be washed up on his island.
What is Prospero doing on an island? When Prospero was banished,
he and his two year old daughter, Miranda, were put in a small
boat and pushed out to sea. Gonzalo snuck supplies on board,
including Prospero’s books of magic. When their little boat
washed ashore, it was on a small uninhabited island.
Was the island really uninhabited? Goodness, no! The island was
home to a witch and her half-human son, Caliban. The witch has
died, and Caliban is now servant to Prospero, which makes Caliban
very very unhappy. He is not a nice creature. On the other hand,
Ariel, a fairy or sprite who serves Prospero, is very loyal to his
master and helps with magic spells.
What happens when the shipwrecked characters wash up on Prospero’s
island? Prince Ferdinand is put to work by Prospero. He doesn’t
know that there are other survivors and he grieves for his father,
King Alonso. When he meets Miranda, now a young lady, it takes
his mind off his troubles.
Meantime, King Alonso is grieving because he believes Ferdinand
has drowned. Antonio and Sebastian are plotting, as usual, and
Prospero assigns Ariel the task of keeping an eye on them.
THINGS TO THINK ABOUT:
1. What kind of revenge does Prospero plan?
2. Why are Antonio and Sebastian so wicked? Can they
change their evil ways?
3. Is it Caliban’s fault he’s miserable?
4. Is Ariel happy living on the island with
Prospero?
5. Will Prospero and Miranda stay on the island at
the end?
To read a more complete description of the plot (do you really
want to know how it ends?), check out Leon Garfield’s book,
Shakespeare Stories.